Trolley.



UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

SAMUEL H. LIMBERT, on SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, or ONE-HALF T0 CARL B. LIMBERT, or SPRINGFIELD, zOIIIQ.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,862, dated March17, 1903.

Application filed May 8, 1902. Serial No.l 06,442. (No model.)

To all w/wm it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL H. LIMBERT,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the countyof Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Trolleys, of which the following is a specification;reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to trolleys, and more particularly to that classemployed in connection with electric traction-roads, mounted on the endof an upwardly-pressed trolley-pole and bearing on the under side of thewire.

The invention has for its object to provide a connection between thetrolley-wheel and trolley-pole of such a character that the wheel willadjust itself to the trolley-wire in rounding curves and in othersimilar situations, so

. as to reduce the lateral friction between the wire and wheel andcorrespondingly reduce the wear of these parts, the wheel maintainingits true vertical position, and means other than springs being providedto impart to the wheel a tendency to return to its normal or centralposition relatively to the pole.

, To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features, which Iwill now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a. side elevation of aconstruction embodying my invention in one form. Fig. 2 is a bottom orinverted plan View of the same, partly in central horizontal section.Fig. 3 isa vertical sectional view taken on the line 00 a; of Fig. 2 andlooking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a detail sectionalView taken on the line y y of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of thearrows, and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the same plane asFig. 3 and illustrating a modification.

Referring to said drawings, 1 indicates the trolley-head, having a shank2,which is adapted to be connected with or forms a part of thetrolley-pole, which latter is, as usual, pressed upward toward thetrolley-wire by suitable. springs.

3 indicates the trolleywheel, which may be of any approved constructionand which is mounted in a harp or yoke 4, having an axle orbearing-pine, on which the trolley-wheel vided with apertures 9 and withcollectingsprings- 10, riveted at 11 to the outside of the K harp oneach side and passing thence through the apertures 9 to the inside ofthe harp, where their circular ends 12 press against the ends of thehubs 13 of the trolley-wheel and prevent rattling. The flanges 8surround these parts, so as to protect them from contact with the wireor other portions of the superstructure should the trolley slip from itsplace. Washers 12' are preferably interposed between the spring ends 12and hubs 13.

The-harp 4. is.provided with a forwardly.- 7o ext-ending stenrlet, andthe head 1 is provided with depending lateral flanges 15, between whichthe stem lies and isprotected. This stem forms a supporting-arm by meansof which the harp is connected with the trolley-head, on the under sidethereof, the connection being by means of a universal joint 16 of such acharacter as to maintain the trolley-wheel in a vertical plane, while atthe same time permitting it to move both vertically and laterally. Tothis end there is mounted in the head 1, preferably between the fianges15 thereof, a pivot bolt or pin 17, which is horizontal and on which ispivoted a sleeve 18, having on its upper side a vertical pivot 19, whichpasses through the arm or stem 14, which is retained thereon in anysuitable manner-as, for instance, by means of a washer 20 and key 21. Inorder to provide an efficient bearing at this point, I provide thesleeve 18 and arm let with diskshaped enlargements 22 and.23,respectively, and to reduce the friction to a minimum I mayprovide thesebearing-disks with grooves 24, forming raceways for antifriction-balls25, located therein. A modified form of this bearing is illustrated inFig. 5, in which the bearing-disk 22 is provided with a. groove 26,while the bearing-disk 23 'is provided with an annular rib 27, whichfits within the ro groove 26. This afiords a superior contact, while atthe same time the groove and rib retaining surfaces are thus provided onthe head, which serves as a means for returning the trolley arm andwheel to their normal central position.

It will be observed that the pivotal connection between the trolley-armand trolley-head is in front of the trolley-wheel, so that this latteris a trailing wheel and is, moreover, free to swing laterally uponcurves or in similar places, so as to adjust itself to the varyingposition of the trolley-wire. This swinging is of course independent ofthe lateral movement of the trolley-pole and serves to maintain thetrolleywheel in parallelism with the wire and to reduce the frictionbetween said wheel and the wire to a minimum, thereby correspondinglydecreasing the wear of these parts. It will further be noticed that thewheel maintains itself in a vertical plane during all of its movements,It will also be noted that since the wheel is pressed forcibly againstthe under side of the wire there is a downward pressure on the wheel anda corresponding tendency at the front end of the trolley-arm to moveupward. Owing to the shape of the cam-slot this upwardly-moving tendencyof the front end of the arm serves to tend to return said arm and thetrolley-wheel to a central position. Moreover, the weight of the harpand trolley being greater than the weight of the forwardlyextending endof the arm, the wheel will always return to itsnormal or centralposition when disengaged from contact with the wire, thus materiallyfacilitating its rengagement with the wire when desired. These resultsare efiected without the employment of springs or similar devices, whichare necessarily unreliable, being apt to break or to lose their temperand strength when thus employed.

I The trolley-controlling cord or rope 32 is preferably attached to theharp in the rear of the joint 16, as indicated at 33, so that a downwardpull on the cord will bring the wheel to a. central position, and thusfacilitate its engagement with the trolley-wire. It may, however, beotherwise attached.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise detailsof construction hereinbefore described, and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, as it is obvious that these details may be modified withoutdeparting from the principle of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a trolley, the combination, with a head, of an arm pivotallyconnected to said head by a universal joint, a trailing trolleywheelmounted in the rear end of said arm, and means on the head, comprisingupwardlyconverging bearing-surfaces engaging said arm, to cause said armand wheel to return to their normal central position, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a trolley, the combination, with a head, of an arm pivotallyconnected to said head by a universal joint between its ends, a trailingtrolley-wheel mounted in the rear end of said arm, and means on thehead, comprising upwardly-converging bearing-surfaces engaging the frontend of said arm, to cause said arm and wheel to return to their normalcentral position, substantially as described.

3. In a trolley, the combination, with a head, of an arm pivotallyconnected to said head by a universal joint between its ends, and atrailing trolley-wheel mounted in the rear end of said arm, said headbeing provided with a bridge piece or plate having an inverted-V-shapedslot with which the front end of said trolley-arm engages to return saidarm and wheel to their normal central position, substantially asdescribed.

l. In a trolley, the combination, with a head, of an arm pivotallyconnected to said head by a universal joint, comprisingahorizontal and avertical pivot, a trailing trolleywheel mounted in the rear end of saidarm and rotating always in a vertical plane, and means on the head,comprising upwardly-converging bearing-surfaces engaging said arm, tocause said arm and wheel to return to their normal central position,substantially as described.

5. In a trolley, the combination, with, a head having lateral dependingflanges to form a protective housing, of a trolley-arm pivotallyconnected to the under side of the head between the flanges, providedwith a trailing trolley-wheel at its rear end and with guiding orcentering means at its front end, sub

stantially as described.

6. In a trolley, the combination, with a head provided with a horizontalpivot pin or bolt, of a sleeve mounted-thereon and having a verticalpivot pin or bolt, and a trolley-arm mounted on said latter pivot-pinand provided at its rear end with a trailing trolleywheel and atits'forward end with guiding and centering means, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a trolley, the combination, with a head provided with a transversehorizontal pivot-bolt, of a sleeve mounted on said pivotbolt andprovided with a vertical pivot pin or bolt, and a trolley-arm mounted onsaid vertical pivot pin or bolt and carrying a trailing trolley-wheel atits rear end and centering means at its front end, said arm and vsleevebeing provided with opposite bearingin front of the joint, to centersaid arm and disks provided with grooves or raceways, and wheel, and atrolley-controlling cord or rope antifriction-balls located in saidgrooves or connected to said armin the rear of saidjo'int, raceways,substantially as described. substantially as described.

5 8. In a trolley, the combination, with a In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature 1 head, of an arm pivotally connected to said in presenceof two witnesses.

head by a universal joint, a trailing trolley? SAMUEL I-I. LIMBERT.wheel mounted in the rear end of said arm, Witnesses: means on the head,comprising upwardly-con- E. O. HAGAN, 1

1o verging bearing-surfaces engaging said arm IRVINE MILLER.

